


𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨 🁡 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘

by Adrenalineshots, sonshineandshowers, TheFibreWitch



Series: Domino 🁡 [15]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Case Fic, Digital Art, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Future Bright, Gen, Hallucinations, Harassment, Health Emergency, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Mental Health Issues, Metafiction, Murder Mystery, Nightmares, Surrealism, Trauma, Unreliable Narrator, Video, a lot of really strange stuff that happens in altered states of consciousness, anxiousness, canon minor character death, reader-driven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:27:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26503651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adrenalineshots/pseuds/Adrenalineshots, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonshineandshowers/pseuds/sonshineandshowers, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFibreWitch/pseuds/TheFibreWitch
Summary: Selecting 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘 from the bookshelf, Malcolm travels through his own mind.Read this story at:https://www.thedominostory.com/#the-woman-in-blackThis book is one part of the Domino series. If you have not yet read thePrefaceorIntroduction, please head there first.
Series: Domino 🁡 [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926451
Kudos: 1
Collections: Domino 🁡, Prodigal Son Big Bang 2020 - Saturday Posts





	𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨 🁡 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jameena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jameena/gifts), [MissScorp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissScorp/gifts), [ProcrastinatingSab](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProcrastinatingSab/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Woman in Black](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/685324) by Susan Hill. 



> This book is one part of the Domino series. If you have not yet read the [Preface](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26497927/chapters/64577434#workskin) or [Introduction](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26497927/chapters/64588537#workskin), please head there first.
> 
> Betaed by the wonderful [Jameena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jameena/), [MissScorp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissScorp/), and [ProcrastinatingSab](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProcrastinatingSab/).
> 
> Credit to the creators and their works that inspired and were referenced in this work:  
>  **— Inspiration:**[The Woman in Black](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Woman_in_Black) \- Susan Hill  
>  **— Cover Song:**[Bad Dream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NmX5vcNK6E) \- Ruelle

[](https://www.thedominostory.com/images/full/the-woman-in-black.jpg) |   
---|---  
  
“Do you believe in ghosts, Professor Bright?”

Malcolm looked up from his desk. He had vaguely heard his students talking about ghosts on their way into the classroom. It wasn’t unusual, it was October.

“Ghosts?” he echoed back.

“Yeah, you know, like how Abraham Lincoln haunts the White House?” a student replied.

“Have you ever seen one?” another asked.

Malcolm leaned back in his chair.

“Seen one? Yes, I suppose I have,” he answered, feeling the shadow of the past breathe down his neck.

“Tell us!” a chorus of students demanded. Malcolm quirked his eyebrow and glanced at his notes for the day.

“I don’t believe ‘ghost stories’ are a part of my syllabus,” he mused. The students sighed and began to settle in for their scheduled lecture, clearly disappointed.

“… but I suppose Halloween is only a few days away, so why not?” Malcolm gave a small smile at the delight on his students' faces.

He stood up to begin his story.

“I was very young when I first saw _The Girl_. I remember it clearly because I thought she was a dream, only I realized she wasn’t when I woke up, and she was still there, cloaked in shadows.

“At first her appearance unnerved me, but as the days went on, her presence almost seemed familiar, like I knew her. I would see her around my childhood home, standing on the stairs, in the corner of our living room. Standing behind my father as he sat at the breakfast table. And then one day, she was gone. I almost missed her bleak presence. She felt like a part of me. A darkness I didn’t fully understand but wanted to know.

“Late one night, she appeared to me again. I can’t explain why, but this time, her apparition filled me with such terror and dread that I called the police. A few hours later, my father was being arrested for murder. She stood next to him in our foyer as he was led away. That was the last I saw her for a while.

“A few months went by, and most things went on about as well as you would expect for a family torn apart by secrets and lies. Eventually, we had to return to the monotony of the real world. My little sister, Ainsley, and I returned to school. I don’t have fond memories of my youth, but I do remember that when _The Girl_ appeared to me, something bad was about to happen. For example, she would show up in class standing next to a student who would later give me a black eye. Or she would be near a girl whose arm would be broken from my clumsiness on the playground. _The Girl_ ’s presence became an omen.

“As the years went on, I began to fear seeing her. But I also couldn’t help but feel that she was trying to get my attention. The only time I saw her consistently was when I would visit my father. She always stood right behind him, over his shoulder, to the point where I felt like I was having a conversation with her rather than my father. I began to realize that perhaps she was connected to my father. Perhaps she was a victim?

“I began describing her to my father, asking if he knew her. He gave me a strange look and instead, changed the subject. After that, I went away to college. That’s when it became much worse.

“ _The Girl_ ’s presence marked death.

“At first it was just in my dreams. She would haunt my nightmares and show me the steamer trunk in my father’s basement. I was tormented by the death of all of his victims. It disturbed me. I began to wake up screaming in the night, annoying my roommate to the point he left our dorm. I lost sleep. I soon opted to spend my nights in the library. Studying through the night helped distract me from my exhaustion. I was usually alone, as most other students would be out at events or social gatherings or sleeping. I soon befriended another student by the name of James. We would study together and share our interests. I learned he was an insomniac which is why he also decided to spend his nights in the library. I enjoyed his company. As the weeks went by, I began to feel normal, like I could form relationships and be a part of someone else’s life without worrying about being the burden I felt I was.

“But I was wrong. One night, Jamie—he insisted I call him that—and I were in the library as usual, chatting and enjoying the evening, when suddenly _The Girl_ appeared behind him. I nearly dropped my book. _‘Are you alright?’_ he asked. ‘ _You look like you saw a ghost.’_ I gave him an awkward chuckle and told him I had just lost my grip on the book. _The Girl_ remained at his side for the rest of the night. I did my best to ignore her.

“When Jamie and I parted for the evening, she followed us out to the street. Jamie offered me a ride back to my dorm, but I turned him down, choosing instead to walk home to shake the unease I was feeling. He shrugged and wished me well. I watched as _The Girl_ slid into the passenger seat next to Jamie.

“I never saw him again. I went to class later that day to find out Jamie had been killed in a head-on collision. And I had let him go.”

Malcolm took a minute to regain his composure.

“I isolated myself after that. Threw myself into my studies. I decided that I would help people who were hurt and stop the people who were doing the hurting. I decided to join the FBI. I would stop people like my father before they had the chance to cause as much damage as he had. The day I told my father about my pursuits and my plan to leave him behind, his anger was amplified by the savage look on _The Girl_ ’s face. But I didn’t care. I was closing the door on my past. I was moving forward.

“Everything went well for a while. I generally enjoyed my job. It felt good to help others. But as to be expected, _The Girl_ soon made her appearance. Cases went wrong; victims died needlessly. Other agents would get injured. Suspects would get away. It was soon decided that I was cursed, and no other agent wanted to work with me. My departure from the FBI was... unceremonious, to say the least.

“I returned to my childhood home. _The Girl_ sat next to me the entire ride back to the city. I decided that I would get to the bottom of her presence. I couldn’t live like this anymore. She was a sadness and fear I had carried with me for most of my life. I would find out who she was and what happened to her. She had to be one of my father’s victims. And so, I began my hunt. The following months yielded many frustrations and sleepless nights. _The Girl_ haunted my dreams and my memories.

“My only solace was the new team I found myself a part of. They became my friends but I constantly feared for them. Since I returned to the city, however, _The Girl_ only showed up in my dreams. I hoped that would be where she stayed.

“I soon hit a roadblock with my research into _The Girl._ I couldn’t find anything about her, and everyone I talked with told me I was mistaken, that no such person ever existed at all. That she was a construct of my own damaged mind. I refused to believe it.

“And then the missing pieces found their way to me in the form of a woman named Eve Blanchard. We soon connected and much like my friendship with Jamie, I began to open up to Eve. We talked about all sorts of things, and eventually I told her about _The Girl_. I’m not entirely sure why I did. I had never told anyone I was haunted by a ghost. I feared she would laugh and write me off like so many before her did. But she didn’t. Instead, she told me that she had been looking for her long-lost sister, who just happened to match the description of _The Girl_. I was dumbfounded. Had we really figured it out? Connected the pieces? I could put this ghost to rest and finally stop fearing the dark.

“I forgot who I was for a moment. I was reminded in the most horrible way that I was a Whitly, name change or not. Life, for me, was a tragedy to be endured.

“Eve and I parted ways after she believed she had found her sister alive. I couldn’t believe it. I had been haunted by a ghost for nearly twenty years. How could this be the same person? We fought. That night _The Girl_ showed up again. Which should have been impossible if she truly was alive. Again, history repeated itself in front of me. I watched as Eve left my apartment. _The Girl_ followed after her. I let Eve go.

“They pulled her body from the river a few days later. Soon after, I discovered Eve was right. Her sister was still alive. I found Sophie in Connecticut and told her of Eve’s grim fate. For the last time, I saw my ghost linger in the shadows of Sophie’s home. It was like seeing double. My journey was over, the puzzle was solved. I went home, alone.”

Malcolm took his seat again. The lecture hall was silent.

“Wait,” one student spoke up. “If ‘The Girl’ – er, Sophie was alive that whole time, then what was haunting you?”

Malcolm took a long drink from his mug.

“You asked if l believed in ghosts. I believe we are haunted by memories, echoes of yesterday, our regrets. I believe we are all haunted by our past. Those are the real ghosts.”

The room sat in quiet contemplation.

“Well, that does it for today. Remember to do your readings.” The room slowly emptied as Malcolm began to pack up his belongings. He went to turn the light out when a figure at the back of the room caught his eye.

He stared at the figure for a moment before flicking the switch.

Her hollow eyes faded into the darkness.

— ◌◯◌ —

The process is second nature — one of them completes enough of the investigation to get to an update and they share their findings with the other. Like a well-oiled machine, they keep rolling along, trading information, fueling their determination. Coffee mug in one hand and notes from his phone call balanced in the other, it’s JT’s turn to share progress. "CSU's going back to collect all the food, hair products, soap, medicine," he reports. "There wasn't a need to before, but with the autopsy findings, they need more comparators."

"Pretty wide range, don't you think?" Dani says, multitasking at her computer while he talks.

"It is. We don't know what got into her system, or how, though."

"Bright didn't raid the fridge. Getting him to eat something is a struggle on a good day."

"I agree. He wouldn't do that at a scene, anyway." None of them would. If they did, it would equal more paperwork for Gil and a stern talking to.

"Could be the water."

"They're taking samples." One part of JT's mind thinks it's missing Bright's bubbles, but another part reminds him maybe he got into something. Bright had to have gotten into something.

"Are they picking up the plants? I could see Bright sticking his face right in those figuring out what each one was. They were everywhere."

"I will call them. Did he say anything to you about where he was going? Anything that would narrow down where we need to look?" He hadn't heard a peep. He didn't even know Bright had left the bathroom and bedroom area until much later. How had he not known?

"No. It's Bright — he wanders."

"Calls for backup when he's already in the middle of the problem." JT smirks, fond memories of his friend mixed with frustration.

"At least he calls now."

JT's pretty sure that's debatable, as they were all in the same house and never heard a single peep calling for help. There was slight knocking at one point, something they had tuned out as something tapping against the house. Was that their teammate suffering? Could they have done something sooner? Or are these thoughts ways to torture himself?

"You were going to call CSU," Dani reminds him.

"Yeah, I've got it." JT gets back to the task at hand and picks up the phone from his desk.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Head back to the [Bookshelf](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26497927/chapters/64588570#workskin) to pick another book. :)


End file.
